Faded Memories
by HinaTink719
Summary: Naruto and Hinata are finally together. However a cruel twist of fate tears them apart. She is believed to be dead, but only lost her memory. Can love bring her back? Naruhina Sasusaku Shikaino Nejiten. Please R&R! First fic, It's good I promise! .
1. How it began

A/N: Hola! This is my first fanfic, so I hope you like it! Just please don't judge me to harshly! Constructive criticism and advice is apreciated! So please review!

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Faded Memories

Chp. 1- How it began

By: HinaTink719

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The pale moonlight reflected off her inky blue hair, as she silently swung back and forth on the old academy swing. She allowed her feet to gently graze the cool grass. Her sandals lay against the tree trunk. Though she still wore her usual clothes, she wasn't wearing her usual tan jacket. She just wore her usual capris with a black shirt. Her weapons pouch was also missing .

Hinata let out a small sigh of happiness. Here she was, once again sitting on the same swing that she had often seen Naruto on. Naruto-kun… She closed her eyes as she lifted her face towards the moon, a small smile across her lips. A gentle breeze ruffled her hair, causing a few strands of hair to fall across her face.

At the same time a rustling noise came from the leaves above. Hinata seemed not to notice, for she continued to swing. Another rustle and then a small soft thud, still Hinata paid no heed. Footsteps were closing in on her and she kept her eyes closed, though a small blush appeared on her cheeks. As she swung back, two rough, yet gentle hands closed on her own soft small hands. They stopped her motion, and held her there as they breathed into her hair. A small shiver went down Hinata's spine. She leaned back and turned her head to look into the sapphire eyes that were smiling at her. She felt the familiar blush crawl up her cheeks, but she did not turn away. Naruto grinned down at her, and whispered "Surprise!". Hinata smiled back at her four week boyfriend.

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_- Flashback-_

_After Sasuke had left, though the blonde had done all he could to prevent his friend from joining Orochimaru, he had sunk into a deep despair. He had lost all his spunkiness and belief in himself. In his grief he had convinced himself that he was weak, a failure, and worthless. Naruto had spent much of his time shut in his apartment, as he had lost all desire to train. Not even Sakura had been able to pull him out of his depression, though she did manage to get him to come out of his apartment even though it was not the same. _

_During this time Hinata watched Naruto as he was torn inside. The sight of him caused her unbearable pain, to the point that her body became exhausted and she performed worse than ever on her missions. Several times she had attempted to try to comfort Naruto, when she had seen him walk aimlessly through the village. However she could never work up the courage, and in the end only hated herself more. She had hoped that Sakura would have been able to get through to him, but she had only got him to come out into the village. _

_Their relationship had begun when she had been racing towards the Academy after her father had scorned and humiliated her once more in front of the clan for failing her third mission in a row. She had known that her father would be disgusted by her performance but she had not expected to be humiliated and embarrassed in front of the clan. Usually he would release his anger and contempt in private. _

_Hinata had been shocked when he called her out to the grounds. After her humiliating scorn she had left the house without looking back. Running at full speed, she made her way through the village towards the academy where she knew she could be alone. When she had neared the building, she heard sobs, that were full of despair and pain. Sobs that brought fear to her heart. _

_Hinata dried her tears, and cautiously walked towards the swing, where the sobs seemed to be coming from. As she turned the corner of the building, she caught her breath. There was Naruto crumpled and in tears at the base of the tree. Hinata had never seen him cry let alone see him in utter despair. It was as if her strong, spunky, joyful ninja, had shattered and what was left was a pitiful image of what that ninja used to be. _

_"Naruto-kun…" she spoke as she softly made her way towards him. He gave no hint that he had heard her. She knelt down by his head, and awkwardly spoke his name once more. Naruto seemed to register that she was there. He looked up into her pale lavender eyes. The pain that Hinata saw reflected in them, caused her to break into a wave of fresh tears. _

_"Oh, Naruto-kun!", she cried, and out of instinct she reached out and smoothed his hair. Something seemed to awaken inside of Naruto at her touch, for he let out a cry and clung to Hinata's waist as he sobbed onto her lap. Hinata was frozen with shock. She looked down at Naruto as he cried onto her lap like a frightened child. The sight of him caused new tears to stream down her face. She smoothed his hair once more too distressed to feel even the slightest embarrassment. _

_"Hinata..", Naruto managed to speak through his sobs, "Please….help me…" _

_Hinata felt her heart break at those words. She let a new wave of tears fall down, before answering, "Of course Na-Naruto-kun!, I'd do anything for you!…J-just please tell me what to do, to get you out this pain. I-I…." She broke off, to choked up to say anymore. _

_"Hinata…I….I…don't want …..to be ….alone! I've lost Sasuke…, I don't want lose anyone else!…" Naruto clung tighter to Hinata. _

_"Na-Naruto-kun you'll never be alone! We'll never leave you! I-I will never leave you …because…because…" Hinata trailed off, a blush appeared as her heart began to race. **I have to, I have to tell him he needs to know! He needs reassurance! Now more than ever, I have to let him know how I feel! **"Because…I..I..I love you Naruto-kun! I love you with all my heart!" Hinata closed her eyes as fear and hope over took her. Naruto quieted and slowly released Hinata. She began to breathe heavily. **Oh no! Oh no! What have I done!** Inside her head was screaming, yet she remained silent, her eyes on Naruto. He kept his head down as he too, kneeled. A minute passed in silence, though to Hinata it seemed to be an eternity. She waited with bated breath as Naruto began to open his mouth to speak, though his eyes remained hidden. _

_"Hinata….do…do you mean it?" Naruto's voice came out calm and clear. Hinata didn't know what to make of it. _

_Whether it was a good sign or not she didn't know, but at least he didn't seem angry. _

_She quietly responded in a quavering voice " Y-Yes." _

_Naruto slowly raised his head. His sparkling sapphire eyes met Hinata's soft pale lavender ones. They searched her intently, looking for any signs of deceit. Hinata felt a blush rise in her cheeks, but she did not turn away. She held Naruto's gaze, her heart beating to loudly to think, not that she could. She focused solely on those eyes, that seemed to plead with her. Several unbearable minutes for Hinata, passed. Finally she couldn't stand it, she had to say something to break the silence that pressed around her. _

_"Narut-." she was cut off by Naruto as he placed a finger on her lips. Hinata turned several shades of red, as she stared at Naruto's hand that pressed against her lips. She looked up into his face and was shocked to see, Naruto blushing. Though it wasn't as bright a blush as hers, but there was not mistaking that reddish tint across his cheeks. _

_"Hinata….Sakura…" he stopped searching for the right words. Meanwhile Hinata felt an icy cold wave wash over her. **Sakura, of course! He's going to tell me that he loves Sakura! I'm so stupid!** She felt her throat begin to constrict. She wished that Naruto would quickly reject her so she could run away as fast as possible. Naruto sighed he wasn't very good with words, and he wasn't sure how he was suppose to say things to Hinata. **Oh well! I'll have to just come out with it! **He looked into her eyes once more and was surprised to see a flicker of sadness reflected in them. Gently he reached out and took her hand. Hinata felt like she was dying inside. She didn't think she could stand much more of this. She didn't want to be pitied _

_"Hinata…Sakura…has always been my biggest crush. I… I've always claimed to be in love with her." He looked into Hinata's pale lavender eyes. She held his gaze, determined not to show any emotion, just like a Hyuuga should. Naruto racked his brains for how to explain his feelings, as he did he absent mindedly ran his fingers through his hair. _

_"Yet, now that I've gotten to know her better and have gotten closer to her, I've come to realize that I love her…like my sister." Naruto's heart began to beat rapidly, while Hinata's skipped a beat at his words, and she dared to hope. _

_"Hinata…I'm not really sure how this is done…,but I want you to know that ever since I watched you at the Chunin exam….I…I've felt things I'd never felt before…they made me think of you all the time…at the time I just brushed them off, thinking it was because of the vow I had made. But after I had fulfilled it, they wouldn't go away...….Soon I came to realize why…." He paused as the nervous tension between them increased. Hinata felt the heat begin to radiate from her. She thought she knew what was coming next but she wouldn't believe it until she heard it from his lips. Naruto meanwhile began to fidget out of nervousness something that rarely occurred. He suddenly became extremely interested in the blades of grass as he stared intently at them, his blush becoming more pronounced _

_"Hinata…" his voice came out soft though Hinata detected a hint of tension. "I really like…no…I really love you too Hinata.." he squeezed her hand, Hinata squeezed back. He looked up at her, as saw that she had broken into a smile that seemed to glow with her happiness, and her blush. Feeling all tension leave his body Naruto broke into his usual toothy grin. They sat there holding hands, unsure of what to do next. _

_Just then however Hinata remembered that Naruto had been crying earlier. She gently released his hand and scooted across to his side. Naruto gave her a small questioningly look. She smiled, before timidly asking, "Naruto-kun…um…are you…feeling better now?" Naruto's smile drooped a little before replying. _

_"Yeah,…I guess I was feeling alone and insignificant…but your words have really knocked some sense into me!" He flashed her a grin. Hinata noticed that he was becoming more like him self by the minute. "You've made me realize that I'm needed, wanted, and most importantly loved. After Sasuke left, I felt that I had failed in everything I believed in. I had let him go, and I had never felt so powerless. I let myself drown in my own misery without second thought. But now I've realized that my friends need me, you need me, and I'm not a help to anyone if I continue with my pity-fest." He took her had once more and smiled a reassuring smile that washed away Hinata's worry. _

_**He only needed reassurance and to hear that he was wanted and loved.** Hinata thought to herself as her orange ninja began to grin even wider and reassured her that he was fine. She smiled and without thinking she rested her head on his shoulder just as the sun began to set. They sat there under the tree with the swing, Naruto's head against Hinata's, while hers against his shoulder. After the last few rays of light disappeared, Naruto realized that it was getting late and that he'd better get Hinata home, before she got in trouble with her father. _

_As soon as that thought formed in his head he felt as though the bubble of happiness inside him popped. He had completely forgotten about Hinata's father, and clan. However, now he saw the reality of his and Hinata's relationship. It would most definitely not be accepted by the Hyuga clan. Hinata sensed Naruto's tension, and so she lifted her head to look up at him. His eyes were full of worry and apprehension. _

_"Naruto-Kun, what is it?", she asked him with a small frown on her face.Naruto looked at her thinking, about how to explain their situation. He knew for a fact that her father, would not approve. To him that really didn't matter, what he was concerned about was what would happen to Hinata, if her father found out._

_"Hinata, I just realized that our relationship isn't going to be the best news for everyone. Your family and especially your father, are going to hit the roof once they find out." He looked at her with sadness in his eyes. He didn't want to cause her any problems, and especially make her an outcast in the village because of him. He knew how half the village hated him because he carried the Kyubbi that was sealed inside him, and he didn't want Hinata to go through that. He froze as another wave of ice hit him full force. Hinata didn't know about the Kyubbi! **I wondered when I'd be remembered**Kyubbi spoke with a twinge of annoyance. Naruto and the nine-tailed fox had, over the years developed what Naruto called a "relationship" . Though he wasn't quite sure how he would describe it._

_Another shocking realization hit him. How would Hinata react if she knew about the Kyubbi _and_ his speaking to it? Would she still love him? He didn't think he could bare the thought of losing Hinata, but he had to tell her what he was. He loved her too much to deceive her. Before Naruto could even begin to ponder how to tell her, Hinata took his hand and looked at him with such fierceness in her eyes, that it took Naruto by surprise. _

"_So what !? So what, if my family finds out. They aren't going to break us apart! I won't let them Naruto-kun! I know that they aren't going to be pleased with our relationship, but I've dealt with their disappointments and disapproval all my life. It won't be anything new, and besides I have you. I don't care what they say about you not being high class, or what they say about you having the Kyubbi sealed inside you! I love you Naruto-kun, and I'm willing to fight for that love! Even if it means having to go against my family!" Hinata flushed with anger at the thought of her family daring to stop her. But that anger quickly simmered down, as she looked into Naruto's shocked face. He had literally been stunned, when he learned that she already knew about Kyubbi. _

"_Hinata…h-how?", he sputtered after a few seconds. _**Yes how? **_Kyubbi echoed irritably He rather liked being a well kept secret. She smiled timidly at him, as she blushed and began to press her forefingers together . It was one of her nervous habits. _

"_Naruto-kun, I've known for quite some time. Don't worry, this doesn't change a thing about how I feel about you!" She quickly reassured him, for she had seen a flicker of fear behind his shocked eyes. "Because of my Byakugan, I noticed that you had extraordinary amounts of un-normal chakra. I also noticed how the village seemed to hate you, and I once overheard Father talking with the clan elders about the Kyubbi being sealed inside someone. I just pieced it together myself." She gave him an apologetic look. _

_Naruto continued to stare at her in amazement, but he broke into a relieved smile. He felt his love for Hinata grow a thousand times stronger. __**She knows! She knows, and she doesn't hate me for it! **__. _**Smart Girl**, Kyubbi acknowledged_. Naruto ignored the fox, as he felt the bubble inside him swell once more, but just as quickly it began to deflate. _

"_Hinata are you sure you want to go against your family?" He asked her uncertainly . Naruto wanted to make sure that this was what Hinata wanted. She cupped his face in her small hands. Naruto felt his tension ease away. Hinata seemed that she had the power to sooth him by just even looking at him. He placed his hands around hers, and they looked her in the eye. _

"_Naruto-kun, I've made my choice and I don't go back on my words.", he smiled at his all too familiar words. Hinata also smiled and continued, " But if it makes you feel better, lets not tell. We'll let them and everyone else find out on there own." Naruto nodded his agreement at her. He then stood up and pulled Hinata to her feet. He grinned at her. _

**Um…hate to break the moment, but aren't you forgetting something?….Aren't you going to let her know about our little connection**_? Kyubbi asked his host. _

_**That can wait**__. Naruto responded back. Then he pushed the fox out of his mind and grinned at Hinata. _

"_Well we better get you home before they start looking for you!" he took her hand and leapt on to the academy rooftop. They soon were leaping from roof to roof towards the Hyuuga mansion. As they traveled Hinata inwardly thought that if she ever did go missing, she was sure the clan wouldn't bother looking for her. _

_-End of flashback_

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Naruto gazed lovingly at Hinata's face, a shy blush visible on her cheeks. It was like this almost every night. He would meet her at the academy swing, and they would spend the night together. Ever since that day that Hinata had found him by the academy swing, and confessed her feelings for him, they had been almost inseparable.

It had taken everyone by surprise when they has seen the two of them together. Nevertheless, all their friends had been pleased by the news. Though Sakura did later admit to Ino that she had been a little heartbroken, since she had begun to develop feelings for Naruto. Kiba and Shino, Hinata's team members were by far the happiest. They were glad to see Hinata, whom they thought as a sister, smile, instead of always being secluded. Kiba congratulated them, and also took the liberty of threatening Naruto with bodily harm, if he hurt Hinata in any way.

Those who opposed were quick to show their feelings. Hiashi Hyuuga, had even locked Hinata inside the house and forbade anyone to see her. Naruto had caused an uproar when he attempted to march in the clans house, and free Hinata. The attempt had left his whole left side numb for three days. Kakashi (with some help from Kiba and Shino) had to practically tie him up to keep his stubborn student from going back to the Hyuuga mansion.

Though Kyubbi offered to lend him his chakra to, as he put it "rip that bastard apart for _sealing_ Hinata (He had gotten usedto the girl, after Naruto had explained their relationship, and instead of being frightened had asked the fox how he liked Naruto as a host.) Naruto though tempted by the offer refused. He didn't need to give the Hyuugas a legit reason to hate him and forbid him from seeing Hinata.

However, after a week passed and there was no sign of Hinata, Lady Tsunade stepped in. She ordered and threatened Hiashi, to not intervene in his daughters life. He had never cared what happened to her before, why now? Hinata was happy and she as Hokage, would see to it personally that she stayed that way. Hiashi had no choice but to step down. This however didn't prevent him from being extra cruel to Hinata. He now pretended to have only one daughter; Hinata Hyuga did not exist in his eyes. Hinata was pretty much left to fend for herself. Though she did have the support of Neji and Hanabbi, who were both extremely happy for her. Despite Hinata's protests, they helped her in every way they could.

Naruto needless to say had not been pleased at the way Hinata was being treated, but he let it slip because according to Hinata, it was better to just leave things as they were, rather than cause more problems. He had agreed though rather reluctantly. The village had also been displeased, but only because according to some old guy, "he would corrupt Lady Hinata".

Yet they quickly got over it and everything almost went back to normal. Though the Hyugas were continuing to ignore Hinata's existence, and they would occasionally get dirty looks from some of the grownups from the village. But they didn't give them any second thoughts, and instead enjoyed every minute they spent together to it's fullest.

Now they were meeting once again at night. Naruto gently pulled Hinata up from the swing, and pulled her into his arms. He lightly kissed her on the forehead, causing her to blush even further. Despite the fact that they had been dating for four weeks now, She was still shy around him. It was her sweet nature he supposed, though she did seem more confident.

Also despite four weeks, neither had worked the courage to go beyond just kisses on the cheek. They didn't worry however the moment would come. Even though Kyubbi kept pressuring Naruto to quit acting like a pansy and make a move.

Hinata smiled at him and returned his kiss by snuggling into his arms. Naruto held her close and breathed in her light lavender smell. He had never felt more happy in his life.

"Um….what do you want to do tonight?" she quietly asked him as she pulled away and walked over to put on her sandals. Naruto watched her as he thought. They rarely planned anything, they would just do what ever came to their minds. Once they had ended up watching the stars all night atop the Hokage monument.

He thought a moment, he was feeling kind of hungry and ramen sounded perfect. **Wow 10 points for originality! **Kyubbi spoke sarcastically.

_**Shut up! **_Naruto retaliated. He grinned at her, "I know! Lets get some ramen, and then we can go for a walk!" Hinata broke into a smile, ramen sounded perfect. To her it didn't matter where they went. As long as she was with Naruto, that was all that mattered to her.

"Okay, but you're _it_! So you get to pay!" Hinata playfully poked him, as she leapt on to the nearest roof and took off in direction of the ramen stand. Naruto laughed and leapt after her into the night.

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I Hope you guys liked it! Thanks for reading! The story gets a lot better I swear! Please Review! Pretty please, with sugar on top? .

Next chapter: The genin are assigned a mission that will change their lives forever. We also get to see every other character ,except sasuke. Sorry! It might take a while, but I swear he comes into the story! .


	2. Assigned mission

A/N: Hey, there I know chapter 1 was pretty pathetic and I apologize. This chapter is pretty much the beginning of this story. I hope you like it! Enjoy!

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Faded Memories

Chp. 2 - Assigned Mission

By: HinaTink719

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Sakura slowly and reluctantly got up from bed; she wasn't a morning person (usually getting up around ten). She hated it when her mother pounded on her door and demanded that she get up. No matter how many times she explained to her mother that a girl needed her beauty sleep, the woman just didn't understand. And thus whenever her father had to leave early for work (eight o'clock) and couldn't stop her mother from waking her, she would come and hammer at Sakura's door.

Determined to take her time and irritate her mother, she kept her eyes closed as she searched for clean clothes so that she could get in the shower. Sadly her mother was onto her, and bellowed that if she wasn't down within 15 minutes, Sakura would be in charge of all the chores for the rest of the week. Sakura quickly quit stalling and got in the shower. She knew her mother was a woman of her word, and that there would be no mercy from her.

Sakura after a ten minute shower, came down ready to do her mother's bidding. She sighed, this was definitely not going to be her day. Her mother had that look on her face that came with the promise of being worked into exhaustion.

"Sakura, I need you to take these rice balls and dumplings, over to the Yamanaka's. Ino's mother is ill, and we need to do all we can to help the poor woman.", as her mother spoke she pushed a carefully wrapped box into her hands. "You can stay and visit for a few minutes, but then I need you back here, we need to do a bit of spring cleaning, _(though they were already well into June)_ and we need to get some laundry done while we're at it. Now get going, and don't be to long."

Sakura stood there and blinked for a few seconds. Then with a sigh turned to walk out the door. Why was it that on her days off from training with Tsunade her mother would bombard her with chores. _**Oh well, at least I'll get to talk with Ino.**_ She had been planning on going to see her rival and friend, later that day. She needed to do some girl talking, about her jumbled up emotions. _**She'll probably be minding the shop**_. She thought as she walked out into the street, in the direction of the Yamanaka flower shop.

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Tsunade stood by the window, overlooking the village. Her face was set in grim lines. Despite the fact that the village was well on it's way to recovery, there were still problems due the lack of shinobi. Most of the ANBU had been dispatched on S-class missions, while those that remained patrolled the borders of fire country. The few Jonin that weren't on missions had to stay in the village should an emergency arise. All the Chunin, were out on B and A class missions, though she didn't like it. All she was left with were the Genin.

Though they were all strong and had proved it many times, they lacked the experience of every other shinobi. She let out a frustrated noise, that made Shizune jump. She had been watching the Sannin with Tonton in her arms, apprehensively for several minutes now. Ever since they had received that piece of information, Tsunade had been lost deep in thought. She sympathize with the Hokage's frustration, being well aware with the situation, yet she wondered whether this would lead her to do something rash. Something that Tsunade was prone to do when frustrated.

"It can't be helped, Shizune" Tsunade sighed as she walked to her chair and sat down. Her elbows rested on her desk, as she brought her fingers together, and looked over them at Shizune. "I'll have to send the Genin."

"But…but…", Shizune stammered, for a few seconds too shocked to find the right words. Then as if Tsunade's words had finally hit her, she angrily lashed out at the Sannin. "You can't! This is way out of their league! It's an A ranked mission maybe higher! It would be better if you send in the ANBU! The Genin, as good as they aren't won't stand a chance! We can't ris-!" she was cut off as Tsunade slammed her hand on the desk. It broke in two.

The Sannin glared at her as she stood, "Dammit Shizune! I don't like it any better than you do! But I can't send in the ANBU as you suggest! That would be like opening the door wide open for any bastard like Orochimaru to waltz right in!" Tsunade took a deep breath to calm herself down. She hadn't meant to scream at her old apprentice, but her frustration was at it's peak, and it didn't help that Shizune had fanned the flames.

"Shizune I can't leave the country and the village unprotected! Konoha's enemies could seize the opportunity to bring down, what we've recently gained! So the ANBU and the few Jonin left are out of the question! And there are no Chunin left, to send on this mission." Tsunade had lowered her voice, but the frustration in it was still clear. Shizune's face was also flushed with the frustration for the Sannin. She couldn't believe that Tsunade was determined into sending _children_, as Shizune thought of them, into the lion's den. She knew that they were strong, but this was beyond them.

Tsunade watched her old apprentice and friend, knowing perfectly well what was going through her head. She sighed and sat back down her chair and motioned for Shizune to do the same. Shizune for a minute looked like she would refuse, but then took her seat, sitting on the edge of it. Since there was no longer a desk Tsunade, leaned back in her chair and rubbed her temples before speaking.

"Look, the ANBU said that Orochimaru's lair was deserted. I know better than to underestimate Orochimaru so I know there will be danger, but at least we know that it won't be crawling with sound shinobi. That should greatly reduce the risk of having to battle. _No listen_!" Tsnuade said the last part in a pleading tone, since it seemed that Shizune wanted to interrupt. Shizune, who had indeed wanted to interrupt, swallowed her words.

"I know you were going to ask why I didn't tell the ANBU to take on the mission. That is simply because if I did, I would send in a team of at least two, but the closet ANBU are each about 20 miles from the base. That would mean leaving at least 40 miles of the border unprotected." She looked at Shizune and sighed. " And no, Jiraiya is out on a mission, and we can't wait for him to return.

"Besides the mission is simple. They just need to scout around and find any information that will give us hints to Orochimaru's current whereabouts and his plans. Then they are to destroy the base, and report back. Of course we don't know what could be inside that base, but I believe in all my Genin. Which is why I'm sending in all four of the Genins and of course our one lazy ass Chunin. (Shikamaru had stayed cleared from missions by "helping" out at the academy)." Tsunade eyed Shizune, as she sat up a little straighter.

Shizune looked shocked at this piece of information. "All four of the teams?" she asked quietly. _**Is she crazy!? **_She inwardly raged at the fifth. _**With that many people they'll be more open to an attack! **_Tsunade smirked at her, knowing quite well what was running through her head.

"Yup, all four of the Genin teams and two Jonins. Should they run into trouble they will have each other. Two teams will go inside and scout, while the other two will remain outside as lookouts. Their chances of survival will be much greater, if they run into trouble. Besides, do you really think Naruto would let anything happen to his friends?" She looked satisfied with herself, as Shizune contemplated the situation.

Finally with a reluctant sigh Shizune admitted defeat. She couldn't argue that all four of the Genin teams were indeed formidable when together. And since they would be with at least two Jonins, there seem to be no doubt that the teams would be alright. Yet she had a nagging feeling that something would go wrong.

"Now Shizune if you don't mind, please bring in Kakashi and Kurenai. Oh, and could you get someone to clean this up" She motioned her hand at the desk. Shizune nodded and quickly stood up, bowed her head to Tsunade, and left the room.

Tsunade watched her go feeling slightly guilty for her outburst so early in the morning. She stood up and walked over to the window. _**That girl worries too much! Everything will be fine, there are no sound nins around the base. Knowing Orochimaru, they could encounter one of his "experiments", but that is why they'll have each other. Together they are strong and formidable. Especially Naruto when it comes to the safety of his friends**_. _**There's also no way in hell that Naruto is going to let anything get between him and any information on Sasuke. **_

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"AACHOO!!" , Naruto sneezed loudly over his bowl of Ichiraku ramen. Ayame, the owner's daughter looked at him with concern. The boy had dark circles around his eyes, as if he hadn't got much sleep.

"Are you catching a cold Naruto-kun?", she asked him as she placed his fifth bowl of ramen in front of him. Her worried eyes scanned him. _**Hmm, he looks a little pale, and a little sluggish. He **_**must**_** be coming down with something.**_ She inwardly thought.

"Nah, it's probably just Hinata-chan talking about me!" He grinned at Ayame as his eyes lit up at the mention of the shy girl. Ayame did not look convinced, but she knew that fussing over the boy wouldn't help so she decided to fix him one more bowl of ramen free of charge. While she tuned her back to fix another bowl of ramen, Naruto spotted Iruka-sensei walking, looking disgruntled. Naruto grinned and yelled out to his old sensei.

"Hey Iruka-sensei! Over here!", the blonde enthusiastically waved his arm at him. Iruka frowned when he heard his name but instantly perked up when he saw that it was Naruto. He crossed the street, to join the genin at the ramen shop.

"Ramen so early Naruto?", Iruka tried to scold, but failed as he chuckled. He sat in the stool on Naruto's right, and turned to face the blonde that was now pouting.

"Aaww, Iruka-sensei, you know ramen is my life! How am I suppose to function for the rest of the day without it?" He flashed his sensei his foxy grin, as he once more dug into the bowl in front of him. Iruka, smiled fondly at his former student.

"So Naruto what have you been up to?" Iruka asked him as he ordered a bowl of ramen. Naruto turned to his sensei as he slurped the last of his ramen.

"Nothing much! Just working at becoming the best Hokage that ever lived!" He grinned at his sensei before digging into the new bowl of ramen that Ayame had placed in front of him. He didn't even notice he hadn't ordered another.

"Well that's good, but don't get too cocky! The road to becoming Hokage is not an easy one!" Iruka reminded his old student. Naruto just grinned even more.

"Of course it's not easy! I mean if it was I'd be Hokage already, instead of Tsunade-baa-chan! I know that there will be obstacles to overcome but that' s why I have my friends, Hinata-chan, and you to help me get through!" Naruto's eyes sparked as he drained the last of his ramen. Iruka looked surprised. Who knew Naruto had become so serious and mature? Iruka smiled at him as he became lost in his thoughts.

_**He's always so full of energy, always smiling, always picking himself up, always talking about being Hokage, always……leaving the bill to me.**_ Iruka suppressed the urge to find Naruto and throttle him. The blonde had mysteriously disappeared as Ayame, had brought him the bill. Of course, Iruka was so deep in thought, that he didn't notice his old student slip out. _**Just like a fox. **_Iruka smiled a small sad smile at his last thought, as he reluctantly paid the shop owner and headed out.

* * *

Naruto stood on the rooftop of a nearby home as he silently laughed his ass off. He had watched as Iruka's glazed eyes turned into a murderous stare when he noticed that Naruto had left, leaving him the bill. Though he felt slightly guilty, (he tended to eat _a lot _of ramen), the look on Iruka's face was priceless. _**I'll make it up to him later! **_Naruto thought as he watched Iruka pay the bill and headed off towards the academy. **That's ****if**** you remember idiot. **The fox poked at Naruto, to which he responded by shutting the fox completely out of his mind.

He continued to watch his sensei's retreating back with a grin, until a trio of people caught his eye. _**Eh? **_Naruto questioningly asked himself. He leaned to his right to get a better look, but Naruto being Naruto didn't notice that he was already to close for comfort to the edge. The second he leaned forward, his hand making a vain attempt to support his weight on air, he tumbled down to the ground. He managed to let out a strangled cry before he crashed into the neatly lined trash cans below.

_**That would be Naruto. **_Kakashi half exasperated half amused, silently thought. Kurenai had instinctively whipped out a kunai and now stood at a fighting stance. Meanwhile a confused Shizune was scanning the area for the source of the racket. All three of them turned around as they heard a groan and some clanging.

Naruto slightly dazed, sat up a rotten banana peel hanging from his head. He tore it from his head in disgust. **Graceful as always**,Kyubbi snickered. Naruto felt his anger flare up and he mentally let out a stream of insults at the fox, only to amuse the demon further. He stood up and began to shake off the rest of the garbage that clung to him, while muttering swear words under his breath. _**How does this always happen to me? **_He angrily thought. Naruto was so engulfed in his bitter thoughts, that he didn't notice as the three Jonins quietly sneaked up behind him.

"Ahem", Kakashi let out a quiet cough. Naruto jumped, and slowly turned to find himself face to face with Kakashi. He instinctively jumped back, only to step on the banana peel he had disposed of. He flailed his arms like a windmill fighting against gravity, as he fell backwards. Gravity unfortunately won this battle, and Naruto opened his eyes wide as he fell back down on to the pile of garbage.

"Yuck!" Naruto cried out, as he found that garbage was once more clinging to his orange jumpsuit. He promptly fixed the silvered haired jonin with a glare worthy of Sasuke. _He_ as Naruto felt, was responsible for his fall. Kakashi, merely chuckled at his student killing intent, while the women beside him tried to suppress their giggles.

"Serves you right for trying to listen to _adult_ conversations." Kakashi told his student. Naruto merely crossed his arms in front of his chest, and pouted. Kakashi raised an eyebrow in surprise. _**What? No cocky retort? That Hyuuga girl must be rubbing off on him.**_ He smiled inwardly, at least someone was getting through to him. However Kakashi thought too soon. Naruto fixed his sensei with a mischievous grin.

"Oh…I see!" he said with a flourish. Kakashi blinked in confusion. Naruto gave him a wink, which unnerved the jonin. "Who knew you were the type to two-time Kakashi-sensei!" Kakashi turned pink or what part of his face was visible turned pink. Shizune also flushed, and began to ramble an explanation, while Kurenai looked absolutely horrified at the blonds insinuation.

Naruto took one good look at their faces before he fell over from laughter. "You…haha…should…haha…see…haha...your faces!" Naruto roared with laughter. The three jonin were not amused.

"Naruto when you're done guffawing like an idiot, maybe you can pay attention, since what Shizune was telling us concerns _you_." Kakashi informed the blonde. Naruto instantly shut up, and he bounced to his feet turning his attention to Shizune. Satisfied Kakashi nodded towards to Shizune to continue. With a sigh she once more informed the Jonin about how Lady Tsunade needed to seem them about a mission with the genins.

" A mission? What kind of mission and why are all the Genins assigned to it?" Naruto questioned Shizune. Kurenai and Kakashi looked at Shizune, it was clear that they were wondering the same thing.

"I'm sorry Naruto but Lady Tsunade will explain the mission, She asked to see the both of you." she added as she turned to look at the jonins. They nodded and were about to take off towards the Hokage tower when the loud blonde whined that he wanted to come too.

Kakashi looked at him and smiled, at least his visible eye crinkled in amusement. "Sure Naruto but you have to keep up." With that last part, all three Kurenai, Kakashi, and Shizune disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Hey! That's not fair!" Naruto yelled at the spot where the three jonins had once stood. Then he quickly leapt on to the nearest rooftop and took off towards the Hokage building, which unfortunately for him was on the other side of town.

* * *

Meanwhile, the other genins had already started the sunshine filled Konoha day. Sakura arrived at Ino's house within three minutes. Her mother had either forgotten or overlooked the fact that Sakura was a shinobi. So what should have been a ten minute walk was shortened to three. That meant that Sakura now had about half an hour to visit Ino before she had to go home.

As she arrived at the Yamanaka flower shop, she leapt down from the rooftop she was on and landed gracefully in front of the shop. Sure enough Ino was minding the shop. The blonde girl waved at her friend through the glass window. Sakura smiled and hurried inside.

"So what brings you here forehead girl?" Ino teased Sakura, who frowned at her. The pink haired girl merely forced a smile while inner Sakura raged at Ino. She carefully placed her package on the counter, before walking over to the blond girl who was watering the plants under the window.

"Nothing much, my mom just asked me to bring your mom some rice balls and dumplings. By the way how is she?" Sakura knelt down and smelled the lilies Ino had bee watering. The Yamanaka girl sighed and placed her watering can next to Sakura's package before joining her.

"Well, her fever broke this morning, and she was able to keep her breakfast down. So I guess that's a good sign. She's still a little pale though, I think the doctor said it's the flu." She turned to Sakura who had been watching her. "What about you? What's up, and don't say it's nothing because I know you better than that!", she demanded of her friend.

Sakura gave her a sad smile before sitting down properly on the floor. Ino followed suit, and waited for her to speak. "I saw them last night when I was walking home from the market.", she looked at Ino who had a look of understanding.

"Oh Sakura." Ino sighed. She knew that Sakura had been developing feelings for Naruto. Ever since Sasuke had left and they had sought each other (more like Sakura had sought Naruto) for comfort. Sakura had told her that she stilled had feelings for Sasuke, but it was hard not to fall for Naruto, especially since he had always been there for her. Ino remembered the first time her friend had realized that she liked the blonde. Sakura had been confused (Heck she still was!), but she had decided that she would give Naruto a chance. Ino had encouraged this. She remembered telling Sakura that perhaps she would be able to pull Naruto out of his depression, and not to worry about Sasuke.

The day that Sakura was to confess her feelings, Naruto and Hinata had announced their relationship. Though Sakura had been happy for them ( It was hard not to since they were both radiating happiness) she had also felt heartbroken. Hadn't Naruto said he loved _her_? Luckily she had told herself, she hadn't confessed to Naruto. the only one who knew besides her was Ino. Ino had tried to comfort her but apparently Sakura was still hurt, even after four weeks.

"Sakura you need to let it go. You and Naruto weren't meant to be girly.", she smiled at Sakura before continuing. "He' s beyond happy if that's possible, with Hinata. They both really love each other. You should feel happy for him, he finally has some one who truly loves him."

The pink haired kunoichi smiled sadly back at the blonde girl. "But why is it that it was never meant to be with either of them?" she quietly asked Ino. Ino sighed clearly she wasn't getting anywhere. She racked her brains for a minute thinking of what to say.

"Who said it wasn't meant to be with Sasuke-kun?" Ino gave her a questioning look. Sakura responded by giving her a are-you-serious look. "Well didn't Naruto promise to bring him back? When he does, you'll see that Sasuke-kun has realized he's madly in love with you! And don't think this is just talk! It's not easy for me to just give up on my Sasuke-kun!" Ino playfully frowned at Sakura. The pink haired girl giggled. Ino had fallen for Shikamaru her teammate. The epiphany had come about after the chunin exams. Ino had noticed that the sand kunoichi Temari, had been flirting with Shikamaru and he had been flirting back. Now Ino was trying her hardest to get the lazy chunin to notice her. Sometimes she seemed to have succeeded only to start back at zero the next day (She wasn't very patient).

As if on cue, the shop door jingled and in walked Shikamaru closely followed by Chouji. Ino instantly bounced up and smooth the front of her skirt, wiping any dirt along the way. Shikamaru walked over to the counter and leaned on it, barely glancing at the blonde. She gave him a fierce stare before walking over to him. As much as Ino liked him, he still got on her nerves.

"What do you want?" she asked him as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. Sakura gave her a weary look. _**Ino's going the wrong way about getting him to notice her. **_Shikamaru must have been thinking the along the same lines, because he raised an eyebrow at her.

"Well it's nearly lunchtime, and Chouji here wants barbeque, we were just passing and wanted to know if you wanted to join. But obviously you're in a foul mood, and dealing with you is going to be troublesome. So Chouji lets go" Shikamaru turned to his best friend a smirk on his face. He being the genius that he was, was well aware of Ino's affections. He liked toying with her and seeing the girl struggle with herself. _**Just a little payback Ino for all those times you fawned over Sasuke, and didn't notice I was there. **_

Sakura sighed also having a high IQ, she knew what Shikamaru was doing. She also knew that he liked her, and that he knew Ino liked him. However Sakura didn't have the heart to tell her friend, she didn't think Ino's pride could take the knowledge of knowing Shikamrau was playing with her. She glanced at the clock hanging behind the counter. _**Oh crap! I only have two minutes to get home! **_She quickly said her goodbye to team ten, who only Chouji waved goodbye. Ino had a horrified expression on her face, while Shikamaru looked pleased with himself. Both to intent on each other to notice anything. Sakura suppressed the urge to whack them both, as she turned and promptly left.

* * *

Hinata walked down the street a shy smile on her lips. She was hoping to see Naruto before she had to go train with her team. Since it was nearly lunchtime, she had a feeling she knew where exactly he was. She blushed as memories from the previous night came back.

* * *

_-Flashback-_

_Hinata laughed as she leapt from building to building, Naruto was quickly catching up to her. She decided to use an extra push of chakra to keep the distance between her an Naruto. Just as she was about to push off, her sandal was snagged by a nail sticking out. The force she had been about to use threw her off balance. She stumbled forward only to be greeted by the edge. She heard Naruto cry out to her, but before she could do so much as turn, she was falling forward. She let out a gasp as she began to freefall. The ground zoomed in closer, and she closed her eyes and braced herself for the impact. _

_Instead she felt herself fall into a pair of strong arms, just before she hit the ground. "Hinata-chan!? Are you okay?" Naruto's worried voice calmed her rapidly beating heart. She slowly opened her eyes, to find herself looking into Naruto's sparkling cerulean blue ones. The concern behind them was quickly fading, when they saw she was alright. She blushed at how close he held her, he smiled at her before setting her down, though he didn't let her go. _

"_Well, Hinata-chan I caught you!" he gave her a foxy grin, before pulling her close and pressing his forehead against hers. Hinata wrapped her arms around his neck, and closed her eyes. It was moments like this, when she wish she could keep holding on to him forever. Her father, the village, the world, even time none of it existed when it was just the two of them. _

"_Thank you Naruto-kun……for everything", she quietly whispered. Naruto kissed the tip of her nose. _

"_No, thank you Hinata-chan for giving me back my life, and your love." Hinata opened her pale lavender eyes to meet Naruto's cerulean ones. They stood there bathed in the moonlight looking into each other eyes, until the moment was broken by the sound of breaking glass in someone's home. They both jumped, Naruto silently cursed who ever had rudely interrupted them. He sighed remembering he was hungry. He gently took her small hand in his and pulled her in the direction of Ichirakus. _

_-End of flashback- _

* * *

The rest of the night had been uneventful, except that the ramen stand owner didn't charge them, insisting that it was on the house. Naruto had walked her home, and after a quick peck on the cheek, they had said goodnight. Hinata happily sighed as she turned her face towards the sky. She wondered if her love for Naruto-kun would ever stop growing. It seemed that with each passing day her love for the blonde would multiply. She smiled she knew she would never tire of falling even more in love with Naruto every day. _**It just like how I always dreamed it would be, if not better! Except that it's not a dream!**_ Hinata silently hummed to herself as she made her way toward the ramen stand she knew Naruto would be at.

As she approached the ramen stand she noticed that it was missing the orange clad ninja. She frowned she was sure Naruto would be here. _**Maybe he's home sick? **_Worry instantly overtook her. She was just about to go to his apartment when she heard her name being called.

"Hey Hinata!" the call was followed by a happy bark. She turned to see her teammates, Kiba and Shino walking towards her, just before a white fur ball leapt into her arms. Hinata giggled as the little white dog, Akamaru licked her face. Shino and Kiba walked up to her, Shino's hands in his pocket while Kiba had his behind his head. They both looked bored out of their minds. Hinata gently placed Akamaru on the ground before turning to her teammates.

"Good morning Shino-kun, Kiba-kun. Where are you going?" , she smiled at the boys, who in Kiba's case smiled back, Shino nodded to her.

"Well, Shino and I were going to find Kurenai-sensei to see if we have any missions. It's been boring as hell! I hate just sitting around all day, and we hardly ever train with her anymore!" The Inuzuka boy kicked a rock in frustration. Shino just stood still, but Hinata knew better, Shino was just as frustrated as Kiba he just knew how to hide it better. She bowed her head down, she had been thinking the same thing. It was nice not to have missions because she could spend more time with Naruto, but she was a ninja. As a ninja it was frustrating to see the others head out on missions, while her team was stuck inside the village.

Kiba sighed and knelt down to tickle Akamaru. "We've been walking around the village all morning trying to find her, but no luck. She's just so damn hard to find!" he finished as his frustration flared up again. Hinata smiled, Kiba had as much patience as Naruto. Shino shifted a little to gain their attention before speaking.

"It's already lunchtime, I doubt we'll find her anytime soon. Why don't the three of us go and get something to eat, then we can search her for her together afterwards." the stoic boy inquired at his teammates. Kiba stood up, just as his stomach let out a growl. He grinned sheepishly, before declaring he was in. Both boys turned to Hinata who looked hesitant. She had been hoping to find Naruto, but she had no idea where he was. Maybe while they searched for Kurenai, she would run into him? Besides she was a little hungry. She smiled at the boys before nodding her agreement, then turned towards the ramen stand.

"Oh No!", Kiba grabbed her arm and began to pull her in the other direction, towards the restaurant team ten usually went to. Shino followed a little behind. " That idiot Naruto always takes you out for ramen, I'm sure your tired of it. It's time for you to eat something new, since that idiot has no sense of variety!" Kiba finished indignantly. Hinata blushed, and mumbled something about how she didn't mind ramen.

"Hinata you're too damn nice! You have to speak up! Don't just satisfy yourself with what's given to you!" Kiba scolded her, to which Hinata only blushed further and turned her head away. She knew he was right, but when it came to Naruto she really didn't mind where they went as long as she was with him. Yet she kept quiet knowing perfectly well that Kiba wouldn't take that as an excuse. And so team eight began their day, Kiba dragging Hinata, while Shino was left a few paces behind in the direction of the restaurant.

* * *

How did he do it? He had no clue. He guessed it had something to with the fact that they were friends, that they had saved his life a few times, and he couldn't just simply kill them. Still Lee's and Gai-sensei's antics made Neji want to run himself through with a kunai knife. The Hyuuga prodigy stood leaning against a tree, his arms crossed in front of his chest. He closed his eyes to yet another scene of Lee's and Gai's emotions. Neji wondered how he kept his sanity, just as he heard a girlish giggle above him.

"Neji, you should try being more passionate! It might do you some good!" Tenten baited her teammate. She knew he hated when Lee and Gai-sensei went into "passionate mode". She watched from the tree branch she sat on above Neji, as his shoulders tensed. Tenten loved to tease the ice block that was Neji Hyuuga. It was like playing with fire.

"There is a fine line between passion and insanity. Besides passion is for the weak. Emotions only get in the way.", Neji retorted in an icy tone. Tenten seemed unfazed she was too used to his superior talk to care. Though secretly she wished he didn't frown down upon emotions so much.

"Alright Lee! That's enough for today! You and your teammates are dismissed for the day! But remember that the fire of youth should continue to burn whether you're training or not!" Maito Gai struck a pose as he flashed them a blinding grin. Rock Lee dried his tears, and followed suit. Tenten jumped down from her perch and landed lightly on her feet.

"So we're done training Gai-sensei?" She inquired at Gai. He turned his blinding smile upon her, forcing her to lift her hand to shield her eyes.

"Why yes my dear Tenten! I leave the rest of this youthful day for you to indulge! Besides I must find my rival Kakashi it is time for our tie breaker!" He finished dramatically. Lee looked awed at this notion, while Tenten sighed. Neji no longer leaning on the tree seemed to have tuned out his team. "Well I must be on my way!" , and with that Gai disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Well since we no longer have anything do, why don't we all go and get lunch?" Tenten asked her teammates. Lee enthusiastically nodded his agreement.

"Yes! Let us use this time to bond as a team!" Lee turned to Neji, who looked like he would go no where with them. Lee stood there waiting for Neji's input, which Neji was clearly not going to give.

"Alright then lets go." Tenten began to lead the way towards the center of town, Lee soon fell into step besides her. Tenten knew Neji would follow, and bothering him would only discourage the Hyuuga boy. Sure enough she heard Neji's footsteps a few paces behind her. She smirked, so the ice block did have feelings.

* * *

Meanwhile on the other side of town, the fifth Hokage was yelling her head off at a blonde that had came crashing through her door unannounced.

"You little brat! Next time you come barging into my office like that, I'll knock your head off!" Tsunade was on her feet a vein throbbing in her temple, as she glared at the blonde boy who merely pouted. The other three people in the room all had on different expressions on their faces. Shizune was sighing in frustration at both the boy and the fifth. Kurenai never witnessing the usual Tsunade/Naruto greeting was a bit alarmed. Kakashi on the other hand looked bored, as he buried his face in his infamous little orange book.

"Tsunade-baa-chan, are you always this grumpy?" Naruto frowned at the fifth. Her eye twitched as she fought the urge to release all her force on the boy. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes before sitting back down in her chair. Tsunade rested her elbows on her new desk, and instead focused her attention to the Jonin in front of her.

"I have a mission for you and the rest of the Genin." she looked at the Jonin, who looked surprised at the news. _**I know what they're thinking. Why such a large group.**_ She shuffled through some stacks of paper looking for the message they had received. Shizune frowned at her. _**Does she ever place things properly? **_Tsunade finally pulled a piece of paper from the bottom of one of the stacks, and handed it to Kakashi. He looked over it his face growing darker every second, then passed it to Kurenai who had a similar reaction. Naruto's face grew serious when he saw that Kakashi actually looked worried.

"You two will accompany the Genin on this mission. The mission is to go into the base scout around for any valuable information, then get out fast and destroy the base. The base seems to be deserted, but knowing how twisted Orochimaru is there's no telling what kind of dangers could be inside that cave. One of you and two genin teams will go inside the cave while the other and the rest of the genin teams will guard outside. " Tsunade looked over at Naruto who had tensed at the mention of Orochimaru.

"You mean….you mean that there might be a lead in finding Sasuke?" Naruto fixed Tsunade with piercing eyes. She sighed, knowing full well that Naruto would go to the ends of the Earth in search of Sasuke.

"There might be the chance that there may be information on Orochimaru's current location, but I can't guarantee that." Tsunade didn't want to give the boy false hopes.

Kakashi looked at his student, before turning to Tsunade. "You do realize that this may be a trap?" Tsunade nodded and leaned back in her chair.

"I've thought about it. I don't know if this could be one of Orochimaru's little schemes, or _someone else's_.", she placed emphasis on her last words hoping that Kakashi would get her meaning. Kakashi glared as he understood her words. What if this was all cooked up by the Akatsuki to lure Naruto? If it was then they were pretty much handing Naruto over on a silver platter. _**Now I see why she's having us accompany the Genin**_. Kakashi's respect for his Hokage, grew a thousand points. She knew better than to underestimate the enemy.

"So what if it's a trap of that snake? I'll just catch him in it and force him to hand Sasuke back!" Naruto shouted at both Kakashi and Tsunade. Trap or no trap, he wasn't going to just stay here and let his only opportunity in gaining information on Sasuke, pass by. Tsunade smiled inwardly. _**He's still as determined and cocky as ever**_.

"When do we leave?" Kurenai asked. She had been pretty quiet as she contemplated the situation. She had faith in her team and the other Genin, but they lacked experience. They would be vulnerable. Tsunade sat up straighter in her chair before answering.

"You leave tomorrow at dawn. I prefer this mission be done in daylight. The base is near the southern border, you should reach it within three hours. Then you'll go in gather any information, then you'll get out and destroy the base. I expect you back here by the end of the day. Unless you run into trouble of course." She addressed mainly both the Jonin who nodded their understanding. "You are dismissed." they bowed to her before turning to leave. Naruto following slightly behind his face set in determination.

"Wait Naruto!" Tsunade called out to the blonde boy. She felt she needed to say something to stop him from doing anything reckless. Naruto stopped facing the door, and merely turned his head to look behind him. Kakashi and Kurenai also stopped. "Whatever happens promise me you won't lose your head! I know you want to find Sasuke, but don't do anything that could put you or the others in danger!", Naruto only smiled.

"Don't worry I'm not about to let myself get killed by one of those bastards. And I would never let my friends get hurt while I'm there." He continued to walk towards the door, as Tsunade smiled. Kakashi also glowed with pride for his student. He was growing to become what he could only hope as a great Hokage.

Please review! Please? with sugar on top? .

Next chapter: They have started the mission. What could be in store for them? Stayed tuned to find out! .


	3. A Genin get together

**Faded Memories **

**Chapter 3- A Genin get-together**

**By: HinatTink719**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto does. That also goes for the last two chapters which I stupidly forgot to add, sorry! ^.^**

**A/N: I'm so so so sorry to anyone who waited for an update! I'm am truly sorry, I can only say, University life, loss of inspiration, and writers block. ( T-T ) I'm feel absolutely terrible. I'm a horrible updater, I won't even ask for reviews so please just enjoy! :)  
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**Naruto walked in silence with Kakashi and Kurenai, out of the Hokage's building. His face was set in determination. **_**Sasuke, I will bring you back! I won't let that snake have you! Even if I have to break every bone in your body I **_**will**_** bring you back! **_Naruto was unaware that he was digging his finger nails, which were beginning to resemble more like claws, into his hands. However Kakashi noticed and sensed that Naruto's chakra was beginning to spike at an alarming rate. He quickly placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and gave him a firm squeeze. Naruto turned to his sensei, his normally blue eyes had a red tinge to them, but it quickly disappeared when Naruto understood his sensei's look to calm down.

Kurenai, had also sensed Kyubbi's chakra, and was quickly alarmed by it. However she noticed that after Kakashi's gesture, the demonic chakra began to retreat. She let her shoulders relax. Kurenai had never seen Naruto when he was overtaken by Kyubbi's chakra, but she knew it couldn't be good. _**Just this small piece of information almost made him lose control, will he be able to restrain his emotions during the mission?**_ Kurenai frowned at the thought of what would happen if Naruto allowed his emotions to sway him. The Genin didn't know about the demon fox being sealed within Naruto. It would be a rude awakening for them if they saw their teammate and friend being overtaken by Kyubbi's demonic chakra. She quietly resolved to keep an extra close watch on the boy for his sake, and the others.

They had made it out to the busy street, and Naruto was about to head towards his apartment, when Kakashi stopped him. The blonde gave him a questioning look.

"Naruto I'll let you find the rest of the Genin and inform them of the mission." Kakashi was pulling out his book from his pocket. " I have to speak with Kurenai, and began to strategize for this mission, since for all we know it could be a trap." Kurenai looked surprised, she figured she'd be the one to hunt down Kakashi to strategize.

Naruto crossed his arms in front of his chest, and narrowed his eyes in suspicion at the silvered haired Jonin. "Yeah it looks like it! And, I suppose that stupid book holds all the answers!" He glared at Kakashi, who was already deeply immersed in his book. The Jonin purposely flipped a page before answering, just to annoy Naruto. Of course Naruto being as dense as he was, didn't realize that his sensei was taunting him, as he allowed his irritation to flare up.

"You'd be surprised. Now hurry up, you don't have all day." Kakashi finally spoke after a few seconds. He began to walk in the opposite direction motioning for Kurenai to follow him. She stifled a laugh upon seeing Naruto's beet red face and death glare, which Kakashi was pretending not to notice. She caught up to the silvered haired Jonin, and quietly asked him if he always toyed with Naruto like that.

"I like to think of it as teaching." Kakashi responded without looking up from his book, " He needs to learn not to take the bait so easily. You know…a ninja must see through deception." Kurenai sighed as she glanced back at Naruto, who was kicking pebbles as he walked in the opposite direction in search of the rest of the Genin.

"You're wasting your time. The boy doesn't look like he'll ever understand that concept.", she turned her red eyes on Kakashi who was still buried in his book.

"Perhaps.", Kakashi folded the corner of a page in his book, "In any case we need to discuss more pressing matters." He shut the little orange book, and fixed Kurenai with a serious eye. She too, was looking serious as she nodded her agreement.

"My house is closest." She leapt on to the nearest building, and took off in the direction of her home. Kakashi barely a step behind her.

* * *

Naruto continued to grumble as he made his way down the busy street. It was filled with food stands and shops. Normally Naruto would have poked around but he was too irritated _**And people call me annoying! Kakashi-sensei's more annoying than I am! **_He sent an innocent pebble flying with his foot. **Well he may be annoying, but he's not an idiot. Idiot. **Naruto stiffened at Kyubbi's remark. The fox had been pretty quiet during the meeting with Tsunade. There had been no snide comments like usual, which Naruto to absorbed in the details of the mission, had overlooked. Now Naruto was curious as to why the demon fox had kept quiet.

_**Where were you? I was wondering why there wasn't the usual stupid voice egging me on**_! Naruto inwardly demanded of the fox. **Hmph! Shows how much you know! You didn't need ****me**** to get you all worked up, you did that on your own pretty well. **Naruto was confused. _**Huh?**_ Kyubbi snickered, at his host's denseness. He wondered what the boy would do with out him, since he only seemed to have half a brain. **Well you know I had to go deep into the seal and suppress my chakra since you were unconsciously pulling it up**. Naruto froze in his tracks, as Kyubbi's words echoed in his head. Had he nearly lost control without even knowing it? Had he really allowed his emotions to get the better of him?

Kyubbi sensing Naruto's train of though, quickly added that it was instinct. **You see brat, most of my actions are ruled by instinct, anger and bloodlust. It just so happened that you were experiencing those feelings at that moment. So naturally my chakra was drawn to you, and you weren't fighting to suppress it. It's your instinct to want to rip that snake apart. But who can blame you when it comes to pompous idiots like Orochimaru? **Naruto thought a moment, true he now firmly believed that Orochimaru was the root of all evil, but still he had to control his anger. He couldn't just let it lose like wildfire, unless he wanted it to consume everything and everyone in it's path. **Glad you figured it out! **Kyubbi addressed his host in a congratulatory tone. **It's think before you act, not act and don't even bother thinking! **Naruto's irritation spiked up at the demon fox's last comment. He and the Kyubbi had long ago come to an arrangement, that the fox would help him unless he wanted to die. But being with Naruto all the time and his optimistic attitude, not to mention he's the only soul he could talk to, Naruto had rubbed off on him. Naruto had a suspicion that the fox indeed have a heart that he would probably never show to anyone, however he also knew the fox could have one hell of a temper. He walked absentmindedly on the path.

"Naruto!", He quickly turned around searching for the voice. He spotted Sakura struggling to get by a crowd of shoppers, as she made her way to him. He grinned as her, as she elbowed a pinched faced looking man who had tried to block her path. Naruto's grin widened. He loved it when she let out her anger on others beside him. Sakura finally reached him, a little out of breath.

She shifted the bag of groceries in her arms before speaking.

"Well this is a surprise! You're usually stuffing your face with ramen at this hour.", she smiled at him. Naruto's smile was cut short when, he remembered why exactly he had been deprived of his lunch. Sakura frowned when she saw Naruto turn serious. It was actually quiet alarming whenever Naruto was serious. It deeply contrasted with his usual self.

"Naruto, what's wrong?", she tilted her head to side, awaiting his reply. Naruto looked at her, searching for the right words. _**How do I tell her that we might finally have a lead on Sasuke? She'll be affected by the news as much as I was, if not more. After all she loves him. It's what we've both been waiting for. **_Naruto continued to gaze at her, he didn't know how to tell her.

Sakura stood there with the groceries in her arms, feeling a little unnerved by Naruto's behavior. _**This is bad! The only time I've seen him this serious was when Sasuke left. What could possibly have happened that's made him act like this? Did….did they break up? **_The pink haired kunoichi quickly pushed her last thought into the abyss of her mind. She had felt a small bubble of hope beginning to rise, but she quickly popped it feeling guilty.

"Sakura…", the girl was quickly jerked out of her train of thought by Naruto's voice. His tone suggested that he was being cautious about something. The boy took a deep breath, he decided there was no easy way of saying what he needed to say, so he might as well just come out with it.

"Sakura it's about Sasuke.", as he expected the girl nearly dropped her bags, if Naruto hadn't reached out and steadied them. She stared at him her eyes pleading to know what it was about Sasuke that Naruto knew. The blonde locked eyes with her and held her gaze. "We might have some information that could lead to him." Sakura's eyes widened, as she let out a small gasp. The groceries were now fully in Naruto's arms.

"What?….. What did you say?" her voice was shaking. Naruto hated to see her this way, because of Sasuke. _**All the more reason to bring him back!**_ He set the bags full of fresh fruits and vegetables on the ground.

"They've found one of Orochimaru's bases on the border. It's supposedly empty, but it's possible that they could have left some information behind that might help us locate where they are. Our team and the rest of the Genin have been assigned to the mission.", the blonde boy gently placed his hand on her shoulder, Sakura looked liked her knees would collapse any second.

_**Sasuke-kun….please, please let us find you! Please come back to us….come back…to me. **_Sakura's mind took her back to the night when Sasuke left. That night she had openly declared she loved him for the first time. Tears threatened to fall, she quickly ducked her head so that Naruto wouldn't see her. She hugged her arms in an attempt to comfort herself. Naruto sighed he wasn't particularly good at these kind of things. **Don't blame you brat, women are so emotional!** Kyubbi told him in understanding. _**Not Hinata! **_He retorted before turning his attention back to Sakura. However she was his friend, and she needed him to reassure her right now.

Sakura looked up in surprise when she felt Naruto's arm around her. He held her in a one arm hug, as he looked her in the eyes. "Sakura we _will_ find Sasuke. I made you a promise to bring him back, and I _never_ go back on my word.", he gave her a wide toothy grin. Sakura beamed at him. _**That's right, Naruto promised to bring him back. And if there's one thing I know for sure about Naruto, is that he always keeps his word. **_Sakura dried her eyes, before asking Naruto about the mission.

"So this is a mission? What kind of mission exactly?" Naruto released her and groaned. He had completely forgot about being the messenger for this mission. He needed to find the rest of the genin and relay the information, and just like Kakashi had said he didn't have all day. Naruto hung his head, he didn't have the patience to hunt every single Genin down. _**But maybe if I get them all together, I'll only have to say it once! **_Naruto brightened at his ingenious thought, before he addressed Sakura.

"Well you see, Kakashi-sensei is making me tell the other teams about the mission, but it's going to be a real pain having to repeat it more than one time. So I was thinking about telling them to meet somewhere, like the academy and there I could pass on the message to everyone at once. Do you think you can help me find the rest of the genin?" He gave Sakura irresistible puppy dog eyes. The kunoichi shook her head at him before nodding. "Thanks Sakura!….but…um…where do we start?"

"Well I know for a fact, Ino's team is at that barbeque place. Maybe we should start with them. We could run into the rest of the teams along the way." Naruto nodded at her words before adding that they could also get lunch since he hadn't ate yet. Sakura shot him an annoyed look before agreeing. "I have to go home first though. My mom's waiting for these vegetables, and I also need to let her know that I won't be able to help her anymore." Inner Sakura cheered at not having to do any more chores. The green eyed girl, bent down and picked up her grocery bags. "I'll meet you at the restaurant.", she turned and began to walk to in the direction of her home.

Naruto stretched out his arms before placing them behind his head. _**At least I get to eat! **_He thought brightly, as he headed off towards the Barbeque restaurant. **If you weren't such a hyperactive brat, you'd be just like that Akamichi kid. All you ever think about is food! **Kyubbi taunted at his host. _**Not true! **_Naruto replied indignantly. _**I think about Hinata-chan and becoming Hokage all the time too! **_Kyubbi snorted at him. _**Ah! Shut it stupid fox! **_Naruto stepped up the pace when his stomach let out a rather large growl.

* * *

Ino stared daggers across the table, at Shikamaru who was yawning and looking bored. They were eating at the barbeque restaurant, or more like Chouji was eating. Ino had announced that she was on a diet, and Shikamaru had said it was too troublesome to reach for the food (he was sitting next to the window and the meat was centered in the middle). However, Chouji didn't seem to notice that his teammates weren't eating, since he was quickly shoveling down every piece of meat with in his reach.

And, now Ino was questioning her sanity. _**Lazy bum! I don't even know why I like him! Sure he has great washboard abs and amazingly toned muscles, and his smile just melts me, and when I look into his dark eyes, I drown in them. Not to mention that he can be really understanding and caring, and he's a genius too! **_Ino sighed and blushed as she reminded herself of Shikamaru's redeeming qualities.

"What's up with you?", Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at her. He noticed that the blonde girl was blushing and looking a little dazed. Ino jumped, she hadn't notice that she had drifted off into her daydreams.

"Nothing!", Ino sharply answered him, unable to suppress her blush. She quickly turned away and refused to look at Shikamaru and poor Chouji who happened to be sitting next to him.

"Troublesome." the shadow user muttered, as he turned his attention to the window. Though inwardly he was smiling, knowing all too well what, or more like _who_ nothing was. _**How long Ino? How long until you finally admit it?**_

Just then the door to the restaurant opened to reveal team eight. Ino, who was looking away from her table, began to wave and call to Hinata. The shy girl looked around until she spotted the blonde girl, then smiled and waved in return. _**Please don't invite Hinata to join you, please! **_Kiba inwardly pleaded. He really couldn't stand Ino, she was loud, bossy, and got on his nerves. Oh, but cruel irony always has to come into play. Just as Kiba was praying for mercy from a higher power, Ino yelled at Hinata to join them. The shy girl shot Kiba, who was silently cursing, an apologetic look before making her way towards team ten.

Kiba followed rather reluctantly, Akamaru on his head, while Shino was as stoic as ever. As they approached team ten's table, Ino scooted her chair to the end, while commanding Shikamaru and Chouji to do the same. Shikamaru didn't move since he was already at the end of the table, and Chouji frowned (he'd be further away from the food), before complying.

"Here Hinata sit by me!" Ino excitedly patted the chair next to her. Hinata blushed out of habit at the blonde girl before taking her seat. Kiba quickly sitting next to her, so that Ino was out of his line of vision. That left the seat next to Chouji, for Shino to take.

"So Hinata…" Ino said in a playful tone as a waiter brought more food to their table. "I heard you and Naruto went on a date last night?" She grinned at the Hyugga girl, who was turning several shades of red. "Did anything…happen?"

Hinata looked like she would like nothing better than for the ground to open up and swallow her. She began to twiddle her thumbs, as she nervously searched for what to say. "Um…well…uh…w-what…do you mean by _anything_? Hinata was now radiating heat.

"Well you know, you two have been going out for about four weeks and you guys haven't moved on beyond holding hands, and kissing on the _cheek_!" Ino told her as if stating the obvious. Hinata was now a shade of bright cherry red. She placed her arms in front of her, and raised her finger to her lips. She was quickly beginning to hyperventilate.

"Um…Uh…I…I….y-you…s-see…"Hinata was stuttering, something she hadn't done since beginning to date Naruto. But now being uncomfortable and embarrassed she had resumed her old habit. This did not go unnoticed by her teammate Kiba.

"Ino, what the hell?" Kiba put down his chopsticks and growled at the blonde girl, who glared at him. "Don't you see you're making Hinata uncomfortable! It's none of your business what Hinata does or doesn't do with Naruto! Why do you always have to be so damn nosy!?" He held Ino's deadly gaze. Hinata began to fidget uncomfortably, while she turned to Kiba muttering something about how Ino wasn't bothering her. Kiba didn't appear to notice. Shino meanwhile was as impassive as ever. All hints as to what he was thinking , were lost by his high collar and dark shades. Chouji however was extremely pleased, after all he was getting lunch and a show. Shikamaru just sighed in annoyance as he muttered his favorite word; troublesome.

"First of all _mutt_ boy, no one asked you! So stay out of it! And second of all, I would never make Hinata feel uncomfortable! She's my friend and the sweetest person I know!", Ino's tone was icy as she addressed Kiba. The Inzuka boy who was flushing red in anger opened his mouth to retort when he was cut off.

"K-Kiba-kun please! Don't fight!" Hinata pleaded with Kiba, who looked like he would reach over Hinata's shoulder any second and strangle Ino. He looked at Hinata, and sighed in defeat. He didn't want to make the shy girl any more uncomfortable than she already was. Hinata was relieved when Kiba turned away from Ino, who was sticking her tongue out at the back of his head.

"It's over already?" Chouji asked in a disappointed voice. He really had been enjoying himself. Now he resumed his eating with a little less enthusiasm.

"Well it's about time. You two idiots do know you were attracting unwanted attention." said a scornful voice. Everyone at the table jumped. Hinata actually let out a small squeak, she knew that voice. Kiba's glare at being called an idiot was reflected back at him by cold pale grey eyes.

Team Gai had arrived unnoticed, since everyone at the table had been too immersed in the argument. Now Neji was staring them all down, while Tenten looked annoyed and exasperated with her teammate and Lee had on a bright smile.

"Ah! Isn't this a lovely coincidence! It's like a Genin get-together!" Lee excitedly broke the tense silence. "All we are missing is Sakura-chan and Naruto!" The boy was quickly pushing a table to join it with the other Genin's table. He began to place the chairs in their right places before taking a seat next to Shino. Everyone just blinked.

"Um…Lee…I'm sure they want to eat in peace. Besides I'm not sure we can just join two tables together." Tenten spoke to Lee in an awkward tone. However the boy didn't seem to grasp the situation because he just waved her off.

"Nonsense Tenten! I'm sure they don't mind! Besides we should all have some youth bonding now and then!" He happily told Tenten, as he motioned for her to sit down. She looked at the other genin to apologize for her teammate's intrusion, but Ino just shook her head and smiled also motioning for them to join. Tenten gave them a weak smile before taking a seat next to Lee. Neji stood there with his arms crossed, looking as if he'd rather walk out, before glaring at them and taking a seat at the end of the double table.

The waiter who had been attending them looked extremely annoyed as he yet again brought more food to the table. Everyone soon resumed eating, and conversations soon broke out. Lee was happily discussing training routines with Kiba, Chouji and Shino, though the latter really didn't say much. Ino and Tenten were each describing their latest missions, while Hinata listened quietly. Neji and Shikamaru were the only ones who didn't seem to have anything to say. While Neji looked he would murder the first person who spoke to him, Shikamaru had his head buried in his arms.

The three genin teams all happily ate and talked, (except for one), unaware that there was a certain blonde looking for them and that would soon be joining them.

* * *

Naruto yet again began to grumble and complain about having to find every Genin in order to tell them about their new mission. He began to absentmindedly kick the innocent pebbles that came across his foot. _**Why didn't Tsunade-baa-chan just call in the rest of them herself?**_ He thought as he sent a tiny rock flying. _**It would've have saved me a lot of trouble, Oh! But I forgot she's such a slacker!**_ He heaved a sigh and began to race towards the barbeque restaurant, as his stomach began to growl loudly.

Naruto's eye's lit up at the prospect of food, as he arrived at the restaurant's door. He walked in, and as he scanned the area he let out a yelp, when his eyes fell upon the table with the Genin. Everyone at the table had turned in his direction when he had cried out, and they all waved at him to join them. Lee actually jumped at his chair and dragged the stunned Naruto towards to the table. Halfway there, Naruto seemed to realize he wasn't delusional, because he broke into a grin at jerked a thumb at Kiba who was sitting next to Hinata to scoot over. Kiba grumbled as he reluctantly moved to the empty seat beside him. Naruto plopped down next to a beaming Hinata and after giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, (which left her cherry red) he began to pick at the food.

"Naruto we were just saying how nice it would be for you and Sakura to join us at this Genin get-together!" Lee excitedly informed Naruto across the table. Tenten looked exasperated with Lee.

"Lee for the last time, this isn't a "get-together" you just joined team ten and team eight uninvited." she shot the other Genin another apologetic look. They all just smiled in return.

"No worries Ten, it's great to have people around who actually _talk_." she emphasized the word as she glared at her teammates. They neither noticed nor cared, yet Kiba muttered just loudly enough for Naruto and Hinata to hear, about how some people sometimes don't know the meaning of the words peace and quiet. Naruto smirked and nodded his agreement, while Hinata gave her teammate a small frown. Ino oblivious to the comment cheerfully continued. "I just wish Sakura was here, but she has to do chores for her mother."

"Sheeshoming" Naruto made a noise that was incomprehensible when his mouth was stuffed. **Disgusting as ever I see! **Kyubbi sneered at his host, as Ino glared at ignored the fox and quickly gulped down his mouthful. He turned to Ino to reply once more, " I just ran into Sakura and she said she was going to meet me here in a few minutes, which is why I'm here in the first place." Ino looked surprised. Sakura get out of chores? She'd need a mission to do that. The blonde girl was about to point this out, when she was cut off by Naruto. "Actually, we were going to look for you all, after lunch. So this is great to have found you all together! It cuts my work in half!" He grinned at them, there expressions told him they were wondering why on earth Naruto would want to look for _all _of them. "I'll tell you as soo-, ah-ha!" Naruto made a triumphant noise, as he looked towards the door.

There stood the pink haired kunoichi, who looked dumbfounded at the sight of all the genin gathered together. Sakura quickly got over her shock, as she made her way to the table. "Naruto…how on earth did you manage to gather everyone in five minutes?" She looked at the blonde who grinned, looking pleased with himself. Kyubbi inwardly rolled his eyes.

"Hmph! Yeah right! The idiot just happened to stumble upon our little genin get-together!" Ino smirked at Naruto, while Lee enthusiastically told Tenten he had told her so. Naruto sighed a defeated look on his face. Sakura smiled and took a seat next to Tenten.

"What was it that you're were going to tell us as soon as Sakura arrived." everyone turned to Neji, who had spoken. The cheery mood changed to a more serious one as all the genin fell silent, and they waited for Naruto to respond. The blonde locked eyes with Sakura for a moment before, setting down his chopsticks with a serious look in his eyes. Everyone else followed suit. Naruto was rarely serious, which meant that whatever he was going to say had to be important.

"I don't how to say this, it's not easy…" he trailed off as he stared down at his plate. Kyubbi kept oddly quiet. Everyone waited for him to continue. Hinata gently took his hand a gave him a reassuring squeeze. Naruto looked into her pale lavender eyes, and gripped her hand a little tighter, telling her to not let go because she needed him. She gave him a soothing smile that seemed to give him strength. He took a deep breath and continued. "We've all been assigned a mission. A dangerous mission where, we will plunging head first into the unknown.". He looked at his friends, they had determination written all over their faces. "The mission is to infiltrate one of Orochimaru's bases. The base is suppose to be empty, but we can't underestimate that bastard. We're hoping to find any information that made lead to his current whereabouts. And hopefully to Sasuke…" He looked around the table they all looked serious and even more determined. Everyone understood, how important this mission really was. He knew they all wanted to bring Sasuke back, maybe not as badly as him and Sakura, but he was still a Konoha shinobi. He was still their comrade, and they would bring him back.

It was at that moment that he decided he couldn't have asked for better friends, sure at times some of them could be total pricks and annoying as hell, (with the exception of Hinata-chan of course!), but he knew they would all be there for anyone of them. They would never let him face this alone, and he wanted them to know that he would be there too.

"I know that this mission is dangerous, there's no telling what's waiting for us at that base. But I can _guarantee _no I _swear _to you that I will protect you with my life! No one will die, I give you my word, and I never go back on my word!" Naruto looked around the table, giving everyone reassuring looks. They all gave him looks, that told him that they trusted him with their lives, and they knew he wouldn't let them down. **Hehe always your famous little words. **The demon fox chuckled. Naruto inwardly grinned and turned, his eyes locked with Hinata's, and he felt his love for her grow tenfold. Hinata's pale lavender eyes were soft as they told him how proud she was of him, and how she would always be there for him. It made him feel amazing. He knew that she would never leave him, she would always be there no matter what. For the first time in his life he felt like he had finally found the on place he truly belonged; by Hinata's side.

* * *

Soon after the Genins had all finished eating, and had said their goodbyes. They had all left for their homes to prepare for the mission, and only Hinata and Naruto remained outside the barbeque restaurant. The loud blonde, gently laced his fingers with hers, and he began to walk in the direction of her home. They walked in a comfortable silence, both enjoying each other's company.

"mmh, Hinata?" Naruto broke the serene silence. Hinata looked at him with questioning eyes a gentle smile on her lips. _**She's so beautiful! **_He thought, as the they passed under a tree, and the few rays of sunlight that shone through, gave Hinata a faint glow.

**You need a dish?….You know to catch your drool? **The Kyubbi asked him in a jeering tone. _**Shut up! **_Naruto gave himself a little shake, and gave the Hyugga girl a reassuring smile when he saw her worried eyes.

"Um…" He blushed, and used his free hand to scratch the back of his head. Hinata giggled, she thought he was adorable when he blushed. Naruto racked his brains for a minute, he wasn't' sure how to ask this. They'd never even consider it until now. But he knew he wanted to be with her tonight. _**Oh hell! **_He thought as he, took a deep breath and plunged into his question. " Uh…Hinata…will you stay with me tonight?….You know like spend the night at my house?" He looked at her sheepishly. Hinata's eyes grew wide, and a bright cherry blush appeared on her cheeks.

_**Stay….stay….stay the night with him? **_Hinata felt dazed. She had never considered such a thing. But she knew she wanted to. _**What will fath-….he wouldn't care. **_Hinata felt a twinge of sadness amid her happiness. Her father wouldn't care, because she was practically non-existent to him. She looked at Naruto, who was bright red, and was anxiously waiting her reply. She decided she would want nothing more, than to stay the night with him. The one person she loved, the one she would want to spend this night with, the night before such an important mission.

"N-Naruto-kun, I do want to spend tonight with you.", She blushed a deeper shade of red, as the Blonde boy next to her, let out a cry of joy and leapt in the air, still holding her hand. **Told she wouldn't refuse. I know women kid**. Kyubbi smirked at the blonde who ignored himHinata let out a giggle, at the silliness of her boyfriend.

"Come on Hinata!" Naruto pulled her hand excitedly towards his apartment. But the pale eyed girl, resisted. He gave a her a look of confusion, that made Hinata stifle a giggle.

"I have to go home first. I need to pack for the mission.", she gave him a gentle smile. Naruto sighed, he had momentarily forgotten about the mission. So caught in his attention of asking Hinata to stay the night with him, that he had forgotten about it.

"I'll go pack, and then meet you at your apartment. Does that sound ok?" , Hinata had a faint blush on her cheeks. Naruto gave her a wide grin.

"Yeah, that would be great!" The boy made a mental note to throw out his pile of empty ramen cups, among other things, that he would find embarrassing. He then took her hand, and placed a gentle kiss on it before leaping away towards his apartment. Hinata stood there, her hand outstretched, and a look of surprise on her face. Slowly she pulled her hand towards her chest, a small blush appearing on her cheeks. _**Naruto-kun…**_

_**

* * *

**_

As Hinata approached her house, she felt some of the excited happiness drain out of her, as a familiar tense knot appeared in the pit of her stomach. She quickly and silently made her way through the gates. The knot in her stomach tightened when she heard her fathers voice through an open window. She closed her eyes and held her breath as she made her way to the back door of the compound. Her heart raced with anxiety to get to the door unseen.

An encounter with her father right before such an important and dangerous mission was out of the question. Despite knowing her fathers feelings all too well, they tore new wounds every time she experienced them. It was like being dead and alive at the same time. If she ran into her father his lack of acknowledgment at her existence would only cause her to perform poorly and therefore jeopardize the mission. _**No! I won't do that to Naruto-kun! This mission means so much to him! I won't be the one to hold him back! **_

She had arrived at the door unseen. She quietly slipped in, and let out her breath she'd been holding. However she remained where she was, her back to the door. Though she was relieved that she had not been spotted, she couldn't shake off her desire at _wanting_ to be seen.

This mission, was dangerous and in some ways suicidal. She at least wanted to know that she was still noticed by her father even if was to be sneered at. It was better than being dead. The pale eyed girl wiped at the moisture that had rose to her eyes. _**No! I can't cry!… not today**_

She forced her tears and the lump in her throat back, as she made her way to the end of the hall.

Once in her room, Hinata began to occupy herself with her packing. She gathered her usual stuff: her ninja tools, sleeping bag and blanket, clothes, etc.. She also, with a blush, packed a pair of pajamas for tonight. She needed to grab a few extra things that she wouldn't take on the mission, but were part of her "getting ready for bed" routine.

She glanced at her bed, and smiled as she pulled the medium size lavender teddy bear Naruto had given her. He had gotten it, on his last mission outside of the village. His words echoed in her mind : _**Hehe, I saw it and it reminded me of your eyes! Of course it's nowhere as cute as you! But I needed something to get me through those two days without you! But there's no need for it now since I have you, so I want you to have it! **_Hinata had blushed as she had taken the stuffed animal into her arms. She still couldn't believe that Naruto, the boy she had admired and loved for so long, actually returned her feelings! She remembered all the nights when she had let her dark thoughts get the better of her, and she had sought her bear for comfort. _His_ smell lingered on it, which would make her smile, as she pictured Naruto holding the bear. She wouldn't need it tonight. The pale eyed girl placed a gentle kiss on it's forehead and leaned over her bed to place it back in it's spot.

Hinata glanced around her room. It was large and tidy and gave off a serene feeling much like her personality. Her walls, bed, and curtains were all in light lavender to match her eyes. The furniture and carpet were all in an ivory color, and the smell of lavender clung in the air. She loved her room, it was the only place she truly felt at peace in all of her house.

Her eyes however fell upon her small jewelry box on her vanity. She never wore jewelry, mainly since being a ninja only allowed for small earrings and her ears weren't pierced. However the reason she didn't wear jewelry was because she only owned one piece, and that one peace meant the world to her. Hinata would never put it at risk. She crossed her room over to her vanity and gently picked up the box. It was pure white, with a silver flowery design that was outlined in lavender. She slowly opened it and smiled to find her most precious treasure snuggled in the lavender velvet folds.

She gently pulled it out. It was a silver medium length necklace. The chain was thin, and it glistened every time it caught the light. At the end of the necklace was a small pearly white lily. It was simple yet elegant and simply gorgeous. _**Like mother… **_She hugged the necklace to her chest, before placing it around her neck. Just this once she needed something special, sort of like a good luck charm, to get her through the mission. Besides no one would notice since it would be hidden beneath her jacket and forehead protector. She stole a glance of herself in the mirror. She was surprised by the way the necklace framed her neck, giving it a soft look. Hinata also noticed that it made her eyes stand out. She closed her eyes, and tried to recall the fading memories of her childhood with her mother. She barely remembered her mother, though before her non-existence everyone in the household had always commented on how much she resembled her. Of course she never believed a word, though she thanked them. Her mother had been beautiful, graceful, elegant, charming, kind, gentle, yet at the same time, she was an amazing warrior. All the things Hinata wasn't. She would never be like her mother. She swallowed the sadness that threatened to engulf her.

She had no time, do dwindle in her self pity, she promised she'd meet Naruto soon, and she didn't want him to worry. She closed the box and placed it back on her vanity, before crossing to her bed to pick up her bag. Hinata placed the bag around her shoulders, and walked to the door, stopping to take a last look around her room for anything she might have missed. After a few seconds, of finding nothing she could have missed, she closed the door softly behind her.

Hinata quickly and silently went down the stairs. She paused at the bottom making sure she hadn't been seen, then gracefully slipped out the door. The shy girl had left unaware that she'd been watched all along. Hyuuga Hanabbi had hid behind a column in the hall. She hadn't been noticed at all by her sister and she didn't want to bother her knowing she didn't want to get caught by their father. Yet she had watched her sister go, (most likely to Naruto's) and she had a nagging feeling that maybe just this once she should have said something to her. She may not show it all the time but she worried about her. _**She's like mother in so many ways**_. Hinata had always been told that she took after her mother, while Hanabbi had been told she was like her father. Thus given her gentle nature, the shinobi life was harder on the shy Hyuuga girl.

"Please be careful…sister..", Hanabbi whispered softly after her.

* * *

"S-Sorry I'm late Naruto!", Hinata had taken to her shy side when she had arrived at Naruto's small apartment. She still couldn't believe that Naruto had wanted to spend the night with her. The blonde gave her a wide grin and took her hand, gently tugging her inside.

"It's alright! I was cleaning anyway! So you coming late actually gave me time to finish up." He waved his arm around the small now sparkling apartment. Clearly he had gone to great lengths to make his home as clean as possible, all for her. Hinata relaxed and smiled at Naruto, there was no reason to feel so shy. Her nerves would only get in the way tonight, the one night when Naruto needed her more than ever.

"So Naruto, what would you like for dinner?", Hinata asked as she made her way to the kitchen. Naruto grinned as he began to follow her.

"How does ramen sound?"

* * *

Sakura lay on her bed, it was 11:30 pm, and she'd been packed for hours. She new she should get to sleep, after all she would need her rest for tomorrows mission. However, her thoughts would not allow it. _**Sasuke…. Will I find you? **_The pink haired kunoichi turned on her side, so that she faced the window. The moon was full and beautiful as it cast it's silvery light. _**Just like that night… **_Before she knew it, her mind was taking her back in time. To the night that had shattered her heart. Sakura silently wept as she relived that night.

* * *

Naruto laid on the bed wide awake, Hinata by his side. He glanced at her and smiled, she knew how to be tough when she wanted to. After their ramen dinner that they both had prepared, they had decided to go to bed even though it was 11:30. However, seeing as they would have to wake up before dawn it seemed liked the smart thing to do, according to Hinata anyway. After they'd gotten into their pajamas, and Naruto had been left breathless by Hinata in her PJ's and Kyubbi had told him he looked like an absolute idiot, they argued over who would get the bed. Naruto insisted that Hinata take it, while Hinata absolutely refused, saying it was his bed and she wouldn't take it. After ten minutes of getting nowhere they both (with flushed faces) decided to share it.

Now Naruto lay awake five minutes to midnight, his worries depriving him of any sleep. Kyubbi had drawn completely into his seal saying that the setting was just to sickening sweet and thus had left the two as alone as he could. Hinata also laid awake, knowing that Naruto couldn't sleep. She wanted to help him, to soothe his worries and assure him that everything would be alright. But she couldn't do that, she couldn't give Naruto false hopes, she could only be there to support him. Hinata turned on her side knowing of only one way to ease him. She reached with her hand and ran her fingers through the blondes hair, Naruto took a deep breath closed his eyes at her comforting touch. He didn't know why but he always relaxed whenever Hinata did that. It was part of the reason he loved laying on her lap. Hinata repeated the motion for another two minutes before Naruto spoke.

"What…What if I fail?", Naruto opened his eyes, and stared at the ceiling. Hinata continued her motion, as she listened to him.

"What if this turns out to be nothing but a trap? What if there's no information on Sasuke? What will I do?", Naruto spoke his feelings. Hinata softly slid her hand from his hair to his cheek, she gently turned his face to look at her.

"Naruto, if you fail, you'll pick yourself up like the proud failure you are. If there's no information on Sasuke-kun then we'll look somewhere else! And if it's a trap, you'll have us, you'll have me, and we'll have you." Hinata smiled at him as she spoke, "We'll keep on trying, we'll never give up, because we're all determined to help you. We know how much this means to you, we're not about to give up! So don't you give up on us."

"Hinata…" Naruto, had never loved her more than he did at that moment. He gently leaned in towards her, Hinata didn't pull back. His face came ever closer to hers. He gently placed his hand at the back of her head and pulled her in. Hinata let herself be guided, as her heartbeat rapidly increased. Naruto could feel, her gentle breath, smell the lavender on her skin, count every eyelash, he closed his eyes as their lips met, and the world faded into nothing. Hinata's world exploded into pure bliss, she was aware of nothing but Naruto's gentle lips on hers. They softly broke apart, Narutos eyes on Hinata. A small pink flush dusted her cheeks and her eyes glowed, she broke into a smile and closed her eyes. Naruto put his arms around her pulling her close, placing a kiss on her forehead, before closing his eyes. He heard a faint " about time" from his guest before they soon fell asleep in that same position, bathed in the moon's silvery light


End file.
